Many kinds of beneficial substances such as medications and breath fresheners have long been administered orally in liquid form because of the ease and convenience of such oral administration. In many cases, and particularly in the case of some medications, it is highly desirable and can even be critical that the substance be administered in a controlled progressive manner throughout the day. In some instances, it is important that the substance be administered throughout the daytime or waking hours, but not during periods of sleep. This can be the case with some medications and is particularly true for administration of breath fresheners, for which dispensing during the night or while sleeping serves no purpose and is wasteful.
In the past, carefully controlled oral administration of medications, breath fresheners, and other substances has presented problems because individuals often forget or neglect administration, forget to keep the substances with them when traveling, or generally fail to apply carefully the proper dosages at the proper times. Accordingly, a number of devices have been proposed for administering such substances automatically without dependence upon an individual's memory or care.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,153,855 of Holland, for example, discloses a denture having a tooth with a reservoir that receives and contains a fluid such as breath freshener. A manually operable ball and socket valve is adapted to be brushed periodically with the tongue to release a small amount of the fluid from the reservoir into the mouth. While such a device represents some improvement over manual administration, it nevertheless fails to address the above discussed problems fully because the timing and dosage of each administration still relies upon individual memory and discretion. Furthermore, no means are provided to insure that fluid is not dispensed and wasted during sleep should the sleeper's tongue inadvertently brush the valve.
Other examples of attempts to provide automatic and controlled dispensing of liquids into the mouth are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Numbers 3,503,127 of Kasdin and 4,106,501 of Ozbev. The devices of these patents, like that of Holland, while representing improvements over manual methods, nevertheless fall short of a complete and reliable solution to the problems discussed hereinabove and generally embody particular problems and shortcomings inherent in their respective designs.
It is therefore clear that a continuing and heretofore only partially and unsuccessfully addressed need exists for a reliable and economical method and enabling apparatus adapted to dispense liquids such as medications and breath fresheners into the mouth automatically in a controlled progressive manner and independently of individual care and discretion. Such a method and apparatus should also be configured for automatic discontinuation of the liquid dispensing process during times of sleep or rest to prevent waste. It is to the provision of such a method and apparatus that the present invention is primarily directed.